Neil Young Never Sleeps

Quite busy Mister Young those days… Besides his traditional participations to the Farm Aid annual Festival (September 9) and to the Bridge School Benefit Concert (October), Neil Young is on several projects such as the released of a new record, Chrome Dreams II (October), the release of The Riverboat the 1st volume of The NYA Performance Series (early 2008) – it is one NY's earliest known live recordings (1969) and goes together with the previously NYA Performances: Crazy Horse at the Fillmore East 1970 (vol 2) and Massey Hall 1971 (vol 3) that were released those last 12 months. Neil Young will also launch a North American tour to support Chrome Dreams II that kicks off around October 13th. Hope he will come in Europe with or without Crazy Horse.
Long may you run, Mister Young!
More information on the late edition of the NY Times.

One of the tracks on Neil Young’s forthcoming Chrome Dreams II is Ordinary People, check out this YouTube clip via rollingstone.com/rockdaily

Neil Young - Comes A Time .mp3 - Live Rust (1979)

Some Neil Young covers:
Atlas Sound - Only Love Can Break Your Heart .mp3 via Deerhunter
Late Arrival - Rockin' In The Free World .mp3 (Web: latearrivalband.net)
Richard Reagh ft. El Perro Del Mar - Hangin On A Limb .mp3 via Pitchforkmedia.com

Illustration: Emiliano Ponzi (Magnet Reps)

Tegan And Sara - Live @ Cologne

I purchased The Con a couple weeks ago and took it with me during my one week holyday in Cologne. The good surprise for me was that Tegan And Sara were scheduled to play in the Stadtgarten the same week, last Saturday. It was one of the last dates of their European tour; they will start a North American one next September after a short break (see tour dates here).
The Cologne show was sold out since days (400 standing). Several times during the concert the twin sisters thanks the fans for coming as well as the German promoter who believed in them. Because of that, they gave a slight hit to their record company for the lack of support in releasing the record in Europe.
The Con, fifth full-length studio album from Tegan And Sara, is more mature and more complex than the previous one, So Jealous. The more I listen to it the more I like it and I was looking forward to see how they will treat the songs live.
Well, to tell you the truth, I was quite satisfied. I was very impressed by the quality of the show, the sound was perfect and every member of the band functions faultless. First, the girls warmed up the audience with some old songs before they played the new ones from The Icon. Of course, they need to be perform more and more - Sara messed up a little bit with the lyrics of Back In Your Head – but those (short) songs work very well on stage and some of them are potential hits. Like much of the audience, I was very pleased to discover the new live treatment of Are You Ten Years Ago.
All along the evening, the sisters enjoyed to entertain the audience in telling personal “short” stories and jokes. They felt very confident in front this German crowd. I also appreciate the way they introduce each member of the band in telling how they first met.
The show reminds me one evening of October 2002 in Chicago when I saw for the first time Sleater-Kinney. For me, even if the music is quite different, Tegan and Sara showed in Cologne the same energy on stage than the girls from Portland… and they also both have great fans, mainly girls, who of course tried to have the same look than their idols.

Web: teganandsara.com
MySpace: myspace.com/teganandsara

Tegan And Sara - Back In Your Head .mp3 – The Con (July 2007)
Tegan And Sara - I Bet It Stung .mp3 – So Jealous (2004)
Tegan And Sara - Monday Monday Monday .mp3 - If It Was You (2002)

Bonus: Tegan And Sara - Buried Alive .mp3 (Unreleased) via teganandsara.org

Photo: Lucky Girl - Tegan And Sara in Cologne, Saturday 25, 2007

Battle And Victory For Nancy Elizabeth

Be aware, the haunting music from Nancy Elizabeth will reach our ears in only few weeks. Nancy Elizabeth is a 23-year-old Wigan-born singer who has been writing and performing since she was 14. Her debut EP, The Wheel Turning King, who was released in 2006 by Manchester’s Timbreland Recordings, under her full name, Nancy Elizabeth Cunliffe, only received local and confidential acclaims. Since, she toured and her many gigs included supports for A Hawk And A Hacksaw, Tunng, Marissa Nadler and James Yorkston among others – Nancy Elizabeth is currently putting together a small touring group to augment her one-girl-band shows which feature primarily Celtic harp and acoustic guitar. Battle And Victory, her first full lp, is due September 24.

Web: nancyelizabeth.co.uk
MySpace: myspace.com/nancyelizabethcunliffe
Label: myspace.com/theleaflabel

Preceding the album release two limited edition 7” singles are available, Hey Son and I Used To Try, both with exclusive B-sides.
Nancy Elizabeth - Hey Son .mp3 via DIM

Below, few seconds from the first track of Battle And Victory:
Nancy Elizabeth - I’m Like A Paper .mp3

Nancy Elizabeth is not only folk oriented, every so often she made a guest appearance on other people music like on the title track of the latest EP from Clause Four, Blue on Blue (July 2007).
Clause Four - Hardly A Beat .mp3 (Web: clausefour.net)

Devendra Banhart - Live @ Cologne

Devendra Banhart will release his new record, Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, on September 25 on XL Recordings. Currently, he is touring in Europe before he will cross USA in September to promote the new songs.
I was happy to see him live for the first time last Wednesday in Cologne in an almost packed and very hot Gebäude 9. On stage, around him, were people from the Devendra Banhart community like Noah Georgeson or some members from Vetiver. Of course, they played mostly songs from the forthcoming album. The songs of Devendra offered me a feeling of lightness and happiness. I was like he says in Seahorse: “High; happy and free”. Seahorse is a song in three parts, it starts with an acoustic guitar very softly (high) then, after a beautiful piano intermission (happy), ends like a Jim Morrison song full of energy that allow the audience to move or dance (free).
Two more things to say, first, during the break, Devendra asked if there were any singer-songwriter among the spectators and invited one of them to come on stage and play; second – it’s a personal message – please Devendra, bring more handmade t-shirts!
Altogether during two hours, lyrics, melody and his voice brought me in a view that life can be better and less complicated that how it is every single day.

Lucky Girl

Web: devendrabanhart.com
MySpace: myspace.com/devendrabanhart

Devendra Banhart - Seahorse .mp3
Devendra Banhart - At The Hop .mp3

Photo: Lucky Girl

Greg Brown - The Evening Call

This record was released in 2006 but I only bought it early in ‘07 after reading a 5 (outa 5!) star review in Mojo (or was it Uncut?). To be honest I didn’t like the record all that much on first listen. That rapidly changed though when I actually started to pay attention. There is something absolutely compelling about this record. The first thing you notice is the Voice: a superb instrument- deep, rich, smokey and centerpiece of every song. Next come the lyrics: Greg Brown is a poet and marvelous storyteller. Apparently his recent marriage has wrought a bountiful harvest. (Congratulations Greg!). Wonderful production from producer and long time friend/band-mate Bo Ramsey (great guitarist!!) along with a great cast of musicians (guitars, bass, drums and piano) perfectly frame each song yet gives ample room for Browns commanding voice and story. Hey, the first sentence in the CD starts off with: “I woke up this morning wishing it would rain…” (Joy Tears) and the last sentence in the last song (Whippoorwill) reads: “… So let love be home, and let the whippoorwill sing”. In between is a marvelous journey for you to discover friends. I never, ever tire of listening to this record.
Greg Brown has something like 27 albums in his discography. This man is not a little player. If you want to hear the best of what can be great about songs and songwriting then this CD can go at the top of the list. This man is truly a master craftsman and The Evening Call is a masterwork!
Recommended listening: Bucket, Eugene, Skinny Days.

Bookerfatz2

Web: gregbrown.org

Greg Brown - Eugene .mp3 via The Late Greats

Greg Brown - Poet Game .mp3 from Poet Game (1994)
Greg Brown - Hey Baby Hey .mp3 from Futher In (1996)
Greg Brown - Two Little Feet .mp3 from Futher In (1996)

The For Carnation - Reincarnation

The For Carnation in six years (1995-2000) only released two Eps and one full-lentgh album. Promised Works (Touch And Go Records, July 2007) is a compilation of the two Eps, Fight Songs (1995) and Marshmallows (1996).
I purchased the same compilation years ago but with a different cover. It was released by Runt Records (runt30), the same label who released Dear Sir the debut album from Cat Power in 1995. My surprise is that I can't find today any information about this label and that recording. I think Runt Records doesn't exist anymore... Anyway, I am happy that Promised Works reached the hands of Touch And Go Records.
The music from Brian McMahn (ex-Slint) is warm and mysterious. The guitars are moving in dark spaces. The For Carnation and Slint were among the most important slowcore and post-rock pioneers. I let you enjoy the extracts below.

MySpace: myspace.com/forcarnation

The For Carnation - Get And Stay Get March .mp3 from Promised Works (Stream individual tracks here).
The For Carnation - A Tribute To .mp3 via Robosexual

Bonus: Slint - Good Morning Captain .mp3 from Spiderland (1991)

The Summer Of Love On Arte

What is Arte? Arte is a French-German TV network, which facilities are located in Strasbourg (headquarters) and Baden-Baden, that aims to promote quality programming related to the world of arts and culture (en.wikipedia).
You all know that the “Summer of Love” is the summer of 1967. In July and August 2007 - 40 years later - Arte offers a very interesting retrospective of films and documentaries regarding that period (1966 to 1970…). You’ll find the complete program (in French or in German, sorry) here.
I have already seen many of the movies selected by Arte but I was happy to watch them again like Alice’s Restaurant, Barbarella, Gimme Shelter or Tommy. Besides, the more interesting for me were some original documentaries never shown before on TV (as far as I can remember) like Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable, Ronald Nameth (USA/UK, 1967, 12mn), Turn Me On - 1967, Marc Huraux (FRA, 2007) with Artaud and Alan Ginsberg or Festival Express 1970, Bob Smeaton (GER, 2003) a train crossing Canada from East to West during five days – a moving Festival - where you’ll see Janis Joplin jamming with Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir and Rick Danko. Amazing.
The "Summer Of Love" period produced so many weird and fabulous pictures full of great music and you’re never tired to watch them again and again.

The Mamas And The Papas - California Dreaming .mp3
The Band - The Weight .mp3
The Grateful Dead - Not Fade Away .mp3 via Rock In My World

Janis Joplin - Summertime .mp3

Lee Hazlewood - Cake And Death

Lee Hazlewood has died peacefully at his home outside Las Vegas, USA, after a three year struggle with cancer. He celebrated his 78th birthday earlier this month surrounded by family and friends from around the world. Lee Hazlewood passed away on August 4th, 2007, in Henderson, Nevada, and is survived by his son Mark, his daughters Debbie and Samantha, and his devoted wife Jeane. (more info here).

His latest album, Cake Or Death (Ever Records), was released November, 2006.
MySpace: myspace.com/leehazlewood

Lee Hazlewood - That's How I Got To Memphis.mp3
Lee Hazlewood - Those Were The Days of Roses (Martha) .mp3

Swinging London

I was in London few days ago... just for a short stay. I always enjoyed the city and never missed an opportunity to be there again and, with Eurostar, London is just next door. The only problem for me is that everything is so expensive specially now with a very strong British Pound.
Anyway, that didn’t stop me to visit my favorite places: Neal’s Yard in Covent Garden to listen to some good music in the Rough Trade Shop (I was happy enough to find some back issues of the dead Comes With A Smile magazine); Berwick Street in Soho to purchase some promo copies at a very low price of the latest albums from Yoko Ono, The Bird And The Bee or Suzanne Vega; Notting Hill Gate and Portobelo Road of course for some beers; Abbey Road and the Beatles Store on Baker Street (saw it for the first time, it’s crap!); Pimlico for his quiet atmosphere.
I missed Mark Lannegan in Bush Hall and Greg Allman at Shepherds Bush Empire, but that was ok for me, I was to lazy to go inside a hall and preferred to stay outside enjoying London by night…

Years ago, I had the chance to discover Joy Zipper during one those free in-store gigs held in The Rough Trade Shop of Neal’s Yard. A new store is open now in Brick Lane (more info here) and it’s a very good news for those like us who still love to purchase music in shops.

Joy Zipper - Christmas Song .mp3 from American Whip (2004)
Joy Zipper - Transformation Fantasy .mp3 from Joy Zipper (2000)

Bonus: The Beatles - Here Comes The Sun .mp3
Bonus: Bill Withers - Ain't No Sunshine .mp3 music from the Motion Picture Notting Hill

Photo: Lucky Lady